Opioid narcotics are one of the most commonly abused chemical substances in the country, right behind tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol. The most commonly abused opioids are prescription painkillers (like oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine), illicit opioids (like heroin), and synthetic opioids (like fentanyl). There are many serious consequences that go hand-in-hand with both short and long-term opioid abuse.
Table of Contents
Opioids Can Affect Range of Side Effects
Even if a person has been taking a prescription opioid exactly as prescribed by a medical professional, this person is still liable to experience a range of side effects with prolonged use. When an opioid narcotic enters the system it binds to opioid receptors within the brain. This compromises regular communication between the brain and the central nervous system, interfering with day-to-day functions like speech, memory, and sleep.
Long-Term Issues Caused by Cronic Opioid Use
One of the most significant long-term issues caused by chronic opioid use is disrupted sleep patterns. People who use opioids regularly often sleep later than they normally would and stay up much later than they would if they were sober and carrying out standard daily tasks. Eating patterns are also harshly disrupted – all areas of life are thrown slightly off-kilter with prolonged drug abuse, and symptoms only continue to worsen the longer you use.
If you have been abusing an opioid narcotic for any length of time and you have attempted to quit on your own with little to no success, Allure Detox is available to help. We provide men and women of all ages who have been struggling with opioid addiction with the opportunity to undergo a safe withdrawal before they progress to the next appropriate level of clinical care.
The Four Ways Opioid Affect Sleep Patterns
There are four sleep disorders linked to opioid abuse and dependence, including:
Insomnia: This type of sleep disorder concerns not falling asleep or staying asleep for a significant period of time. For example, people who struggle with opioid abuse and dependence often feel unrested because they sleep during strange hours and can’t fall asleep once they finally lay down at night. This leads to a range of related consequences, including a compromised performance at work or at school, mood swings, and more.
Parasomnia: When people abuse opioid narcotics they often exhibit strange behaviors during sleep, like tossing and turning, sleepwalking, or experiencing nightmares and sleep paralysis. This makes sleep less restful and can lead to the same consequences (as listed above) during the day.
Mixed sleep disorders: This type of sleep disorder concerns a combination of insomnia and parasomnia. For example, people who abuse opioids often have a difficult time falling asleep in the evening, and once they finally do fall asleep they experience the behaviors associated with parasomnia.
Excessive daytime sleepiness: Many people who abuse opioids experience excessive sleepiness during the day, leading them to sleep strange hours. Most of this sleepiness is directly linked to other opioid-related sleep disorders, though sleeping strange hours is a symptom that can last well through post-acute withdrawal syndrome (which has been known to last for over a year).
Allure Detox and Opioid Addiction Recovery
At Allure Detox, we offer comprehensive opioid addiction recovery services to anyone who has been struggling with a severe opioid abuse disorder. Because addiction is a progressive disease and because symptoms continue to worsen when left untreated, it is a good idea to seek professional help regardless of how severe a substance abuse disorder is. Many men and women who begin abusing prescription opioids eventually progress to heroin abuse if the substance abuse disorder is not addressed.
Get Your Chance To Stay Sober At Allure Detox
This is partly because of the unavailability of prescription opioids and partially because of how easy it is to obtain heroin. Unfortunately, most heroin in circulation is cut with fentanyl – a synthetic opioid over 50 times more potent than morphine.
Even injecting fentanyl-laced heroin once can lead to a fatal overdose. Sleep-related issues can be disruptive and extremely uncomfortable, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the long-term consequence of opioid abuse. To learn more about the short and long-term effects of opioid dependence, contact Allure Detox today.